The Stolen Songbird [Hardcover]

"The twisty plot and taut, assured writing deliver a story that immediately engages. Assured and atmospheric: a winner." —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

When Caro finds a stolen masterpiece in her missing mother’s suitcase, she’s thrust into a thrilling art-heist caper in 1950s London.

When Caro Monday’s mother disappears on one of her jaunts across the globe, Caro is forced to stay with her miserable great-aunt all the way across town. To make matters worse, Caro’s beloved rabbit, His Nibs, isn’t allowed to come with her. Of course, Caro sneaks him into her aunt’s strict household anyway. Although Caro’s wild behavior exasperates her dour aunt, she never dreamed of the trouble she finds herself in when she discovers a small painting of a thrush hidden in the lining of her suitcase—a stolen masterwork that some dangerous art thieves are desperately searching for! Catapulted into a caper with more twists and turns than the alleys of London, Caro and her friends, including budding fashion designer Horace, expert knitter Albie, and a wise “gentleman of the road”—not to mention His Nibs himself—must unravel a decades-old mystery and return the purloined picture before the thieves hunt them down. Plenty of surprises and a diverse cast of memorable characters await in this rousing art-themed adventure.1950s London comes to life in the evocative descriptions and Rioux’s utterly charming, full-page illustrations. The twisty plot and taut, assured writing deliver a story that immediately engages. Assured and atmospheric: a winner.
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Stakes and tension ratchet ever higher across the central mystery, which is populated by an expansive, vividly rendered cast. .lCË